News

The dates for Chromebook distribution for 3rd grade families have been scheduled. 3rd grade families will receive informational packets from their school principal. Here are the dates and times for each school. All distribution nights will be at held at each respective school:

Anna McCabe, Tuesday, October 25th from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

William Winsor, Thursday, October 27th from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Old County Road, Tuesday, November 1st from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Raymond LaPerche, Wednesday, November 2nd from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

In order for each student to receive his or her Chromebook, each student MUST bring the completed Chromebook Policy Signature Page to the meeting.

At the meeting, the important points of the Chromebook Policy will be reviewed with students and their parents and guardians, students will receive their Chromebook, proper care of the Chromebook will be discussed, and students and their parents and guardians will participate together in a fun culminating activity using the Chromebook.

We would like to invite parents of 3rd grade students to attend an informational meeting to learn more about the Chromebooks, how they will be used by students, what systems are in place to keep students safe, and what the expectations will be for students and their families. The meeting will be held on Thursday, October 13th at 5:30 p.m. in the Smithfield High School Auditorium. We are hoping that this meeting will provide an opportunity for parents to ask questions and to hear about the district’s planning and implementation process. Students do not need to attend this informational meeting. If you have attended previous informational meetings for other children, you do not need to attend because the information presented will be similar.

The procedure for Chromebook distribution will also be discussed, but Chromebooks will NOT be distributed at this meeting. Distribution will take place at a future date at each individual school.

We are looking forward to seeing you on the evening of Thursday, October 13th at 5:30 p.m. in the Smithfield High School Auditorium!

If you are a staff member who is leaving the district or a student who is leaving school, you can export the majority of your files and data from your Smithfield Google account using a tool called Google Takeout. Takeout will allow you to download your files and data so that you can take it with you and access it even after your Smithfield Google account is disabled.

Takeout will allow you to export your email, contacts, calendar, files from Drive, notes from Google Keep, and blog posts from Blogger (staff only). However, you will not be able to use Takeout to export any Google Sites that you may have created, so you will need to download these using separate instructions.

Depending on how many files and how much data you have in your Smithfield Google account, Takeout can take hours (even days) to assemble your account archive, so please plan accordingly (i.e. don't wait until the last minute). Also, you can access Takeout from home using a personal device, so you do not need to be at school or using a school owned device to export your files and data.

"Full of excitement and energy, students at Gallagher Middle School were clicking away on their Chromebooks last Friday during an hour-long crash course in computer science."

"At 12:30 p.m., half of the 7th-grade class paused their usual schedule to make time for the “Hour of Code,” an international event hosted by the website Code.org, a nonprofit which teaches students the basics of computer programming. Kids can create online games and complete challenges with themes such as 'Minecraft,' 'Star Wars,' and 'Frozen' by moving blocks of code to write codes."

As part of the Smithfield Public Schools commitment to open and transparent communication, we wanted to make all parents aware of a complaint that has been filed against Google to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). While Google has publicly addressed the complaint, along with the two organizations that have co-authored the national Student Privacy Pledge, we want to make sure that all members of the Smithfield community have access to the information.

Please find below a link to our letter explaining the complaint, a link to the complaint, links to the public responses, and a reiteration of how the Smithfield Public Schools uses Google Apps for Education and Chromebooks with our students.

"Educational leaders and students alike can't say enough about the benefits of using Chromebook laptops in the classroom.

'It's not the days of going to a classroom and sitting there all day (with) someone lecturing you," Supt. Robert O'Brien said. "Kids need to be able to talk to one another (and) use their creativity.'"Melanie Thibeault, Valley Breeze, 10/21/2015

Chromebook distribution nights for parents/guardians and students have been scheduled for the elementary schools. Please see below for the schedule:

Old County Road Elementary, Tuesday 10/20 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Anna McCabe Elementary, Tuesday 10/27 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Raymond LaPerche Elementary, Wednesday 10/28 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

William Winsor Elementary, Tuesday 11/3 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

The agenda for the evening is to review the important points of the Chromebook Policy, distribute Chromebooks to students, learn the basic operation and proper care of the Chromebook, and culminating the evening with a fun "game show" activity with students and their parents/guardians.

Please find attached the Smithfield Public Schools Chromebook Policy and the accompanying Signature Page. In order for each student to receive his or her Chromebook, each student MUST bring the completed Chromebook Policy Signature Page to the meeting.

On Thursday, 4/9 and Friday 4/10 the Gallagher Middle School 6th graders participated in a Chromebook "Boot Camp" to learn about the new devices and tools that they and their teachers will be using. The students were able to experience a number of different learning activities using the Chromebooks alongside their teachers in the context of a model Social Studies lesson. Mr. Hopkins and Ms. Beauvais did a terrific job organizing the event with the 6th grade teachers and making it fun for the students.

On the evening of Thursday, April 2nd, 3rd grade students at Anna McCabe Elementary School received their Chromebooks. Attending with their parents, the students learned about basics of using the device and how to properly care for it. The evening concluded with a quick game show activity reviewing the important points during the presentation.

Additional Chromebook distribution evenings have been scheduled on the following dates:

"While school districts are becoming more high tech, school officials are faced with a new task: creating policies and outlining rules for how these devices and initiatives can be used safely and efficiently in the classrooms."